


Homesick

by boredomsMuse



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Angst, M/M, So much angst, mwhahahahahahaha
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-03
Updated: 2016-07-03
Packaged: 2018-07-19 18:19:42
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,651
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7372510
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/boredomsMuse/pseuds/boredomsMuse
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When Lance can't sleep because he's feeling homesick he spends his nights training with Keith.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Homesick

Lance let out a noise of frustration, slamming his fist into the training simulation wall.  He was the only one in the room, the walls were dark and there was no one to hear him screaming in frustration as he lost round after round.

 

Keith bet these rounds easy, the blue pilot’s mind helpfully supplied and Lance started the simulation up again. 

 

It was the same one they’d done the first time, dodging from orbs, only it was at a much harder level.  He was meant to be doing this with someone to watch his back but there was no one to do so now.

 

 

Lance remembered nights he couldn’t sleep just like this one.  Nights where the pressure got to him and he’d have panic attacks as he thought about just what they were up against and exactly what would happen if they lost.  Or sometimes it was nights when the loneliness settled in.  Nights when Hunk was asleep and couldn’t listen to him miss his family.  Nights after he’d found out about Pidge’s family and didn’t want to dump the burden on him. 

 

He’d started walking around the castle on these nights.  Sometimes he’d found somewhere to sleep usually he’d just walk.  It was one of these nights that he heard the training simulation running.

 

Lance shot at one of the orbs that was aiming at him and dodged a shot of one behind him.  He was breathing heavily, eyes focused and determined despite his body screaming for rest.

 

Keith had been in the simulation when Lance looked in.  He was training when he should be sleeping but Lance wasn’t really one to talk.  He don’t know why but he stepped inside and shoot at one of the orbs that Keith had missed.  He’d started keeping his bayard on him 24/7 since the time he’d almost been blown up.  Keith jumped and turned, calling for the simulation to end.  It did.

 

“What are you doing up?”  Keith frowned at him and Lance let his usual smirk rest on his face, though it didn’t quite reach his eyes. 

 

“Could as you the same thing.  You know you’re meant to do this simulation with at least one other person, right?”  Lance said and Keith stared for a minute before shrugging.

 

“Fine, you can join me if you want then.”  Lance was a little taken aback by the offer but, after a moment joined Keith.  They made a good team.

 

 

An orb hit him in the back and Lance grunted, listening to the ‘simulation over’ voice play.  He let himself sink against the wall as he tried to catch his breath.

 

 

He’d sat with Keith, both panting, after they’d finished the level on the simulator.  “We make an awesome team.”  Lance said.

 

“Yeah.”  Keith agreed.  “Wanna tell me why you’re up this late?”  Lance hesitated a moment, rubbing his neck and frowning.  A good few minutes passed in silence and Keith just waited. 

 

“I’m feeling homesick.”  He eventually admitted.  “I mean we’re correctly sitting a 10 minute walk from a beach and I just,” Lance heard himself sniffle.  “I miss riding down to the beach with my siblings, teaming up with my sister to make a sand castle that was better than my brothers.”  The blue pilot forced himself to stop. “I know what we’re doing is right and I don’t want to leave the team or anything like that but sometimes I just… really want to go home, you know?” 

 

“I don’t know.”  Keith admitted after a moment.  “I haven’t seen my mum in years.”  He sighed.  “And before that it was just me and her.” 

 

“Oh…”  Lance mumbled.  “What uh, what happened, if you don’t mind me asking?”  It was silent again for another few moments but Lance stayed quiet and jut waited, like Keith had.

 

“I don’t know.”  He eventually said.  “One say she told me to stay at the hut and then she just left.”  Lance wasn’t sure what to say, watching Keith stare at a point across the room more vulnerable than Lance had ever seen his fellow pilot and rival.  After a moment Lance did the only thing he knew to do, he rest his hand on Keith’s shoulder to get the boys attention and smiled.

 

“She’d be proud of you.  And I bet she’ll be waiting for you when this is all over.”  Keith looked a little surprised before smiling back.

 

“Yeah.”  He said.  “Let’s head to bed.”  They stood up and they did.  Nothing changed in how they acted the next day, but Lance hoped Keith understood the sentiment in the touch.  The blue pilot liked his space, he didn’t like physical contact all that much.

 

 

Lance pulled his knees up to his chest and curled himself up against the wall, feeling very, very alone.

 

 

It became a thing they never really talked about.  If neither could sleep they’d go to the training room and if the other showed up they’d train together.  Then they’d sit down and just talk.  Sometimes they skipped the training and just talked.  Lance found he was easily as closer with Keith as he was Hunk, if not closer. 

 

Lance found himself falling hard and fast. 

 

He wasn’t sure how to bring it up.  He was aware he was bi but he wasn’t sure if Keith liked guys, or if he was homophobic, or something.  So he brought it up smoothly.

 

“Do you reckon Hunk and Shiro would make a cute couple?”  Lance asked one night after training.  He couldn’t really see it himself but he thought it was a good way to bring it up.

 

“No.”  Keith growled and Lance assumed the worst; that he was homophobic, and his heart sunk.

 

“Why not?”  He asked, trying to sound cool.  It went quiet for a long moment.

 

“Because I reckon Shiro and _I_ would make a good couple.”  Keith eventually mumbled, face red.

 

“Oh.”  Lance wasn’t sure if that was better or worse.

 

 

“Hunk said you might be in here.”  Lance looked up at Pidge’s voice.  The short pilot stood in the doorframe, concern clear on his face as he look at the taller boy.  Lance quickly went to wipe his eyes but gave up, there was no way he could play this off.

 

“Go away Pidge.”  Lance mumbled, burying his head again.

 

“No Lance.  Please, just talk to one of us.  We’re about you.”  The green pilot frowned, walking closer to him.

 

“I don’t want to talk about this two or with anyone.”  Lance replied.

 

“You’re not helping anyone.  He wouldn’t’ve wanted this Lance.”  Pidge kneeled next to him, voice soft.

 

 

The final battle had been fought just outside Earth’s orbit and it had been grand and hard.  Fleets everywhere, massive canons.  Lance had been overwhelmed when Voltron deformed due to the pilots, and lions, exhaustion. 

 

He hadn’t realized he was targeted, that the next strike would hit him.

 

Keith had.

 

Lance screamed as the Red Lion shielded him and took the attack himself.  Instantly he tried to talk to the pilot inside.

 

“Keith!  Keith what the hell are you okay?!”  Lance screamed. 

 

“You’re shouting isn’t helping.”  Keith sounded so weak. 

 

“Why the hell would you do that?!”  Lance sobbed into the microphone, trying to convince himself it’d be fine.

 

“There wasn’t enough time to warn you.”  Keith said like that was a completely acceptable answer.  “Hey Lance, can you do me a favour?” 

 

“Do it yourself jerk.  Once this is all over and we’re all safe and home again.”  Lance countered, bringing a chuckle through Keith’s microphone.

 

“Tell Shiro I love him, please?”  Lance wasn’t sure his heart could take more breaking right now.  “And thanks for, for everything.”

 

“Keith please don’t talk like that.”  Lance sobbed.  “Please.”

 

“Lance!  We need your help!”  Pidge called on the public chat.

 

Keith didn’t reply.

 

“Keith, he’s, he’s-“ Lance tried to tell them but Shiro cut him off.

 

“We know Lance.  I’m sorry.” 

 

 

“Lance.”  Pidge said softly.  “It’s time to go home.  He’d have wanted this.” 

 

“I haven’t told Shiro.”  Lance sobbed, not sure when his quiet crying had become so loud and obvious.  “Keith wanted Shiro to know he loved him.”

 

“He didn’t love Shiro Lance.  We all know it.”  Pidge mumbled.  “His last words were to you, he saved your life.  Keith loved _you_ Lance.”  It just made the blue pilot cry more.

 

 

They left the ship after what felt like hours.  The castle was empty now, no one lived there.  Allura and Coran had found a planet left by Allura’s people with a castle for her, and for now they stayed in a grand hotel for saving Earth until she choose to leave the planet.

 

The paladins were going home.  Hunk had already left, told by Lance not to wait up, but Pidge messaged him daily and Lance messaged him whenever he could ignore his grief.  Pidge’s family were with them.  His father and brother at least.  The two were in a hospital at the moment and Pidges mother was on her way.  Shiro was with them.

 

Lance could go home, he was meant to leave in the morning but he’d been having trouble sleeping that night.  Pidge set up a video chat with Hunk and called Shiro, Allura, and Coran over and the group tried to stay up all night watching movies.  Only Lance and Shiro managed to stay awake however and as the credits rolled for a movie Lance had only half been paying attention to the older pilot turned to him.

 

“He really did love you.”  He told Lance and the blue pilot found himself crying into the elder man’s chest.

 

 

In the morning Lance went home, taken by car.  He smelt the ocean air, heard his voices of his family, but with the hole in his chest left by a teammate that would never go home Lance had never felt more homesick.

**Author's Note:**

> I'm not sorry


End file.
